98 Echoes 2/?

Despite their best efforts, the Verum were unable to completely regulate the spread of information between the 90th and 99th Floors. There were countless non-standard methods to climb the Tower, and, every now and then, powerful groups and individuals had managed to slip through the cracks thanks to a subset of the Verum Nobility that privately disagreed with their race's tyrannical pursuit for a completely arbitrary title.

Thanks to the efforts of these outliers within the Verum species, Meylp was well aware of Eondu's rise and the inevitability of a cataclysmic war. Thus, for several hundred years, she had prepared for the inevitable by forging powerful alliances. As a result, her army had grown extensively, but, rather than consist of standard climbers, it was almost entirely comprised of various different monsters.

As you moved progressively higher up the Tower, encountering 'native species', monsters that had reached a certain degree of sapience, became increasingly common. These groups would often be hunted by the Rulers that obtained Authority over their respective Havens, but, as Meylp had never been the type to indiscriminately slaughter, she chose to coexist with those who had resided in the Tower for millennia before anyone disturbed them.

With her phenomenal strength, Meylp had been able to forge powerful alliances with the leaders of various native tribes. This often frightened new arrivals to the 100th Floor, as, prior to their arrival, it was considered 'normal' to wipe out native species as soon as they were discovered. Finding several million coexisting in relative harmony with each other was actually rather terrifying, as, unlike those fated to climb the Tower, the native species were inordinately powerful from birth. Though they had an upper limit to their growth, as they were unable to climb the Tower, they had more than enough power to threaten those who had managed to reach their Floor.

Due to the many alliances she had forged, the 100th Floor Haven, Avalon, was considerably more peaceful than most. The vast disparity between the number of climbers and monsters was enough to cow all but the most prideful and egotistical. Even then, only the foolish dared to cause a scene, as, unless they were confident in being able to defeat Meylp and other members of the Bapho tribe, doing so was the same as inviting death upon themselves.

Though she was known by many to be a pacifist, Meylp hadn't earned her title as Queen of the Bapho due to an aversion for conflict. Rather, it was her overwhelming might that allowed her to reach the 100th Floor and rein in the various native tribes. She was not shy of violence, but, due to possessing 'too much' power, she had simply grown weary of most conflict. This was evidenced by the fact that, at the end of every year, she would host a grand tournament.

Tournaments within the Tower were common affairs, but, rather than a conventional event, the one hosted by Meylp had an inordinately coveted prize. Victory would not only grant you the right to rule over Avalon, but, if you were somehow able to defeat her, Meylp, herself, would be your prize.

Unfortunately for her would-be suitors, there had yet to be a single person who could match Meylp within the arena. She even created a rule that forbade the use of her Blessing, but, even when other members of the Bapho tribe joined the tournament, she was able to completely suppress them with pure physical might. This was the main reason she was so respected among the Bapho tribe, as, not only was she their strongest, but, due to their peculiar nature and unique culture, they were inclined to obey anyone who managed to defeat them in a fair contest.

Due to her fame and her people's propensity to seek out stronger members of their tribe, nearly every member of the Bapho that managed to reach Avalon came under the leadership of Meylp. To them, defeating her was necessary if they wanted to advance to the 101st Floor. Avoiding her would be a sign of disrespect and cowardice, so, while not an actual requirement to advance, there was not a single Bapho who thought about ascending to the 101st Floor ahead of their Queen.

What most didn't know was that, when the belief of many people was consolidating onto a single person, the Akashic System took notice. When enough belief was gathered, it would these chosen individuals a special contract, and, should they accept it, they would effectively become one of the Guardian Gods of their people. Should they refuse, all memory of this offer would be erased from their mind, but, as someone who had accepted, Meylp was well aware of the fact that the ordinary members of her species would never be able to surpass her in strength.

When someone was elevated to the status of Guardian God, they become the literal representative of their people. This granted them nigh-absolute authority over members of their own tribe, and, in certain situations, it was the main reason for the rise and fall of many species.

Due to her status as Guardian God of the Bapho, Meylp had been able to make a contract with the Tower to ensure that her people were able to climb without being suppressed by the Verum. It was for this reason so many of her tribesmen had been able to reach the 100th Floor, but, in exchange, she had lost the ability to climb further. The only way to break the contract was to be defeated in a contest of strength, but, unless it was another Guardian God, the odds of that ever happening were slim, at best.

If she were being honest, Meylp didn't particularly care about being a Guardian God, but, knowing her daughter would eventually climb the Tower, she wasn't left with much choice. The Verum had been a problem during her own climb, and, even if she found powerful companions to protect her, Meylp knew the Verum would spare no expense to capture, torture, and humiliate her daughter. It was for this reason that she decided to become a Guardian God, as, if it meant her daughter would be able to climb safely, Meylp did not care about her own future.

Unfortunately, though she already suspected it was the case, Eondu had also been elevated to the status of a Guardian God. This was the main reason for his meteoric rise through the Tower, as, even before his climb, he carried the 'hope' and 'pride' of his entire race. As a result, he was able to move through the Tower with impunity, as, due to the strenuous requirements to become one, there were simply no other Guardian Gods to stop him...

Meylp knew it was only a matter of time before she would be forced into a climactic battle against the tyrannical Dragon God. The moment he began traipsing through the Tower with impunity, she began expanding her army and forging powerful alliances with the native tribes. They might not be a match against a Guardian God on their own, but, as he would undoubtedly be backed by an army, she needed one of her own to repel it.

Becoming a Guardian God provided a considerable boost to parameters, a functionally limitless lifespan, and immunity to Instant Death attacks but it didn't make you immortal. You still had to abide by the same set of rules as everyone else, and, once your HP hit 0, you would die. This was an inviolable truth, and, no matter how powerful a Guardian God became, they could still be defeated by a reasonably powerful force. This was true for both Eondu and herself, but, due to the massive size of her Behemoth transformation, Meylp knew she was at a distinct disadvantage...

Though it was rarely ever discussed, it was common knowledge that, regardless of how powerful someone's Endurance, it was impossible to completely mitigate damage. You would always take, at the very least, one point of damage from even the weakest of attacks. This made it infinitely more important to dodge attacks, but, when your body was literally the size of a small mountain, dodging wasn't exactly an option.

Without an army of her own, Meylp knew she would be overwhelmed by the thousands of Verum that would accompany Eondu's rise to the 100th Floor. Most were bound to fail the trial of the 99th Floor, but, even if it were just a few hundred, their aerial mobility, combined with their ability to dish out powerful attacks, had always made the Verum notoriously troublesome opponents. This was the reason they had been able to suppress the other races, as, prior to breaking through the Level 100 bottleneck, flight was impossible for the majority of races.

Though her individual attacks were strong enough to kill the average Verum in a single blow, Meylp had never been known for her Agility. Her transformation made her even slower, so, with rumors of Eondu's breath being able to completely mitigate regeneration abilities, she had spent hundreds of years mastering her base form. This would drastically decrease her strength, but, unless she could get Eondu in a one-versus-one situation, her transformation was a death sentence against groups of foes with superior mobility.

Fortunately, with hundreds of years to prepare her defenses, Meylp was able to build an army that outnumbered the Verum nearly a thousand to one. This gave her an absolute advantage, as, even if the Verum were exceptionally powerful, overcoming the challenge of the 99th Floor required a lot more than strength. It represented one of the most challenging bottlenecks in the entire Tower, as, without consuming some valuable treasure, exceeding Level 99 required conquering the 99th Floor.

What Meylp could have never anticipated was the fact that Eondu had made a contract of his own with the Tower. In exchange for removing the limiter from his biological children, he vowed that he, and all of his children, would never exceed the 100th Floor. He didn't believe there was actually a top to the Tower, so, rather than waste time trying to reach an impossible goal, the only thing that mattered to him was securing a place for himself and realizing the goal his ancestors had failed to achieve.

Under normal circumstances, trapping yourself on a specific Floor would be a death sentence, as, after enough time had passed, a Reset was bound to happen. This was what ultimately forced the Verum to abandon the 90th Floor, but, just as Meylp's contract had a negation clause, so too did Eondu's. His required that he produce an offspring between the Verum and the Bapho, combining the two 'penultimate' species into a singular, perfect, form.

Unlike the majority of his kin, Eondu had never particularly hated the Bapho. Instead, he disdained his own race for their short-sightedness and bigotry. Their bias towards members of a specific race had limited their growth, and, despite thousands of years of effort, they ultimately failed to produce the so-called 'strongest' species. All they accomplished was inflating their ego and causing greater embarrassment for themselves when other species, despite being 'inferior', managed to completely surpass them.

With his father being a member of one of the 'weakest' species, Eondu had never once believed in the superiority purported by the Verum. They had numerous advantages over the majority of other races, but, in spite of this, they continually failed to meet expectations. Many even lost their lives in situations they should have easily been able to overcome, all because their ego and hubris blinded them.

Eondu believed that the greatest strength of the Verum was their ability to adapt and subsume the traits of other species. They might not be the strongest, but, so long as they didn't limit themselves by assumption, it was only a matter of time before they produced, not the strongest race, but the one with the greatest potential. His own existence was a testament to this, and, even if it required him to gamble the future of his entire species, there was no sense in perpetuating an existence that was limited by their own hubris. He was determined to live a life without any restraint, and, even if it cost him everything, he wouldn't have any regrets...